Violent hailstorms, intense rain and strong gusts of wind have hit northern and central Italy in recent days, causing devastating damage to crops and agricultural structures.
According to Italian agricultural organisation Coldiretti, the wave of bad weather has mainly affected cereals, vegetables and fruit, causing flooding, uprooted plants and serious damage to crops which are now close to harvest.
Some building structures were also affected, such as greenhouses and farm buildings with roofs of biogas plants and other structures being uncovered by the wind.
Emilia-Romagna is among the most-affected regions in Italy, with damage cause to wheat, corn, soybeans and other horticulture crops.
Some vineyards have lost up to 90% of bunches, while hail has also caused significant damage to pear tree fruits.
Economic losses
The economic losses could amount to several million euros, Coldiretti has said.
Veneto, Lombardy and Piedmont are among some of the other most-affected areas, with up to 80% of production damaged in some areas of Piedmont.
Coldiretti outlined that this incident highlights the increasingly evident effects of extreme weather events on agriculture, putting crops, farm income and production at high risk within a few hours.
Monitoring is now taking place in the Italian countryside to verify the evolution of the situation and to quantify the damage caused by the extreme weather event to crops and agricultural structures.
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